


Help!

by Panoctu



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Emergency Medical Technicians, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-27 11:22:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13879830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panoctu/pseuds/Panoctu
Summary: During one of their weekly dates, Judy and Nick decide to use their dive into the P.I.X.A.R. machine to explore what it would be like to work as paramedics.This story was created as part of the "What if...? Collaboration" by Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps.





	1. A Change of Course

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [What if...? Collaboration](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11367210) by [AeroQC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AeroQC/pseuds/AeroQC), [Ande883](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ande883/pseuds/Ande883), [BeecroftA](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeecroftA/pseuds/BeecroftA), [Berserker88](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Berserker88/pseuds/Berserker88), [Bluelighthouse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluelighthouse/pseuds/Bluelighthouse), [DrekkDeina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrekkDeina/pseuds/DrekkDeina), [eng050599](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eng050599/pseuds/eng050599), [Euphonemes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Euphonemes/pseuds/Euphonemes), [Irual](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irual/pseuds/Irual), [Laverne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laverne/pseuds/Laverne), [midnightopheliac](https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightopheliac/pseuds/midnightopheliac), [niraD](https://archiveofourown.org/users/niraD/pseuds/niraD), [Panoctu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panoctu/pseuds/Panoctu), [RedPen (GardenVatiety)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GardenVatiety/pseuds/RedPen), [Starfangs_Secrets](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starfangs_Secrets/pseuds/Starfangs_Secrets), [upplet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/upplet/pseuds/upplet), [VariableMammal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VariableMammal/pseuds/VariableMammal), [WildeHopps](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildeHopps/pseuds/WildeHopps). 



> Heya folks.  
> If by any chance you ended up here without reading Cimar's "What if...? Collaboration" (however you managed to do this XD) you should really stop right here and head over to read the collab first.  
> It's full to the brim with talented writers and the unique stories they have created in order to piece this awesome project together.
> 
> Now I want to thank Cimar who is not only going above and beyond for this project but who also let me - a quite inexperienced writer - be a part of this awesome collaboration. :-D  
> I also wanted to thank Anheledir and my good friend Quakky for proofreading, sniffing out some typos and giving me some good ideas how to (re)write some parts of this story as well as Soel and BeecroftA for editing it.  
> One last thing (before this AN gets too long): since this was actually the first story I've written in English, the first about Zootopia and the first in over a decade (yes, you guys get some of my firsts here XD ) I still feel quite tense about it and would be grateful for every kind of feedback and constructive criticism, since I want to continue writing and improving myself as a writer.  
> Alright, thanks for reading my nervous rambling and enjoy “Help!” ^-^
> 
> Artwork by "TheBlueberryCarrots" on Tumblr (https://theblueberrycarrots.tumblr.com/)

"Okay, Nick, what is troubling you?"

"What do you mean?" the fox looked at his wife, a confused expression on his face.

The couple had stopped on their way to Fitwick's Arcade for their weekly date-night at a nearby park to enjoy the atmosphere the late evening sun created.

Beams of light were falling through the canopy of the trees - with single specks bouncing off the surface of a nearby fountain - and created an evermoving pattern of light and shadow dancing over the scene and the park's visitors. Like the bunny and her slumped down fox.

Since the doe was sitting on top of the backrest of the bench they had chosen for their short break, Nick had to look upwards at her for once.

"I mean," she answered, her concern barely hidden, "That you seem to be very silent and deep in thought - both things that are rather uncharacteristic for you."

The tod placed a paw over his heart, looking offended and announced theatrically, "Ouch, Carrots, your words wound me!"

"So you have been listening to what I had talked about for the last fifteen minutes?" Judy asked, unimpressed by his acting.

"Uhm...", Nick's ears twitched oh so slightly while he tried to come up with something.

"I thought so," the bunny deadpanned.

"And when that kangaroo with the headphones passed by, singing along to 'Down Under,' you didn't even bat an eye!"

"Dang it!" the tod muttered, his ears now visibly drooping.

Judy scooted closer to her fox, nudging his shoulder gently with a hind paw. "What is it? What is keeping my husband from enjoying date-night with his beautiful wife?"

The reynard shot her a small, lopsided grin.

"It's nothing, really," he said after a moment.

**Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.**

One of the doe's feet had started to thump slowly against the wood of the backrest.

_Uhoh!_

"I mean, it's nothing to worry about."

**Tap, tap, tap, tap.**

"Barely worth mentioning at all."

**Taptaptaptap.**

Realizing that Judy was reaching the red end of the scale, Nick sighed in defeat. Leaning back, with his head coming to rest beside the bunny, his muzzle pointing skywards, he took a moment to collect his thoughts.

"It's just...,"

_**Taptap...** _

"Since we became parents I have started to wonder."

A sudden nervousness made the bunny swallow. "What about?"

Nick heard the slight tremble in Judy's voice and glancing sideways, saw her nose had started to twitch. He turned his head, so his muzzle came to rest across her lap, a low rumble emanating from his chest. "Not whatever it is you are thinking about, you dumb bunny," he answered teasingly, "Just... we are both police officers at the ZPD - a job that is not exactly safe - what if something happens to us? Or even just one of us? I don't want to imagine our kits growing up without a mom, or a dad... or neither of us."

Scratching her mate slightly behind one ear, the doe steeled her resolve before asking. "Have you considered changing jobs? Is that what had you so deep in thoughts lately?"

Nick hummed in confirmation, "But it's difficult. I love our job. You are not the only one who wants to make the world a better place, after all, you know? Even if I had forgotten that for a while before I met you. And there aren't so many jobs out there where I could do that. Also," he raised his head and turned to look directly into Judy's amethyst eyes, "I don't want to work somewhere without you by my side."

The doe placed a quick kiss on her mate's lips before taking him by the paw, dragging him out of the park.

"What...?"

"We were already on our way to Fitwick's anyway, so why not make this our experience this time?" The tod gave her a quick nod, but Judy knew her mate well enough to see he was still uncertain about this.

A little more than ten minutes later they had arrived at the arcade, finding the P.I.X.A.R. machine was empty and only waiting for them. Settling into their usual seats, Judy started scrolling through the possible scenarios. Nick, who had remained silent for a while now, almost startled his bunny when he suddenly spoke up. "Are you sure about this, Carrots?"

The doe stopped in her browsing and looked at her mate who seemed oddly uncertain. Placing a paw on his forearm, she gave him a small, comforting smile. "It's important to you, so it's important to me. And whatever conclusion you...  _we_  come to after this, we can sort it out then, together."

The tod smiled in return and placed a kiss on his mate's lips before putting on his helmet, signaling her that she should choose whatever she thought would suit them.

Judy had already had an idea what to pick before arriving here, having scrolled through that list often enough by then. Confirming her choice, she gave her husband one more contemplative look before putting on her own helmet and sinking into the artificial sleep.

* * *

A gray doe was sitting on a somewhat uncomfortable, simple wooden stool while waiting for the cameramammal in front of her - a rather bored looking male antelope - to make last adjustments to the recording angle. She knew that in the final version of the documentary, she would be shown on the right side of the screen. The other half would be left open to insert her name, profession and the service she was working for, written against the black background of the room. She could already picture it before her inner eye:

Judy Hopps

Advanced Care Paramedic

ZEMC Ambulance Service

The prospect that all of Zootopia might see this documentary - and her - was more nerve-wracking to the lagomorph than her actual job. She smoothed down her uniform once more in an attempt to calm herself, letting her paws glide down the dark blue fabric, trying to get rid of every fold and crevice. She stopped when she felt the emblem on her upper arm that identified her as a paramedic, making her smile momentarily.

She had already messed up two takes, and they were just halfway through the interview. Before her nerves could get the better of her, though, a female badger who was part of the staff called out: "Ten seconds!"

Judy knew what she had to do. She was meant to not look directly into the camera, but focus on the sow sitting next to it, wearing a light yellow blazer with a small nameplate pinned to her left chest, reading, "S. Swinton". She had also been the one that had asked Judy the questions she had answered for the last forty-five minutes. That is until after her second bout of severe, nerve-induced stammering, they had granted her ten minutes to breathe and recollect her thoughts. Swinton had assured her it was alright and she needn't apologize for it. Many mammals experienced stage fright to some degree during their first time in front of a camera.

The bunny wasn't willing to screw up again.

"Five! Four!" the badger continued the countdown nonverbally by holding up three digits. Then two. One. The red lamp on the camera switched on, indicating that the recording had started. Without missing a beat, the swine began to ask the last question she had given the doe, acting as if there had never been an interruption.

"What had caused you to pursue the profession of a paramedic?"

The first time they had continued the recording after Judy's slip-up, the sudden continuation of their 'conversation' had surprised the doe. Enough so to miss her entry, what had caused the antelope to feel compelled to mumble a curse under his breath before they had started over. This time the bunny answered without delay.

"As a kit, I had always wanted to make the world a better place. Paramedic hadn't been my first choice, though. At first, I had wanted to be a firefighter. After that came doctor. Somewhere along the way I even dreamed of becoming a police officer. I participated in one of our school performances wearing a police uniform, including a badge, hat, and utility belt." She couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice entirely at the fond memories. "I must have been around eight, maybe nine years old then." The doe wore a small smile, looking back at her younger self from so many years ago.

"The year after that, Irene - one of my sisters - and I were playing outside, on the outskirts of the woods. She was climbing a tree, so proud that she was actually able to do it and laughing all the while. But when she was halfway up something went wrong. I don't know if she slipped off or missed a branch, but suddenly her laughter had turned into a scream, and she fell." The bunny cast down her eyes, ears hanging limb behind her.

After a moment it appeared she pulled herself back from her thoughts, glancing up at Swinton and offering her an apologetic look. But the sow just signaled her to continue, knowing that this kind of emotional backstory would be selling.

Inhaling, Judy forced her ears to stand up once more, before she continued.

"It had been somewhat of a traumatic event for me, and I can only recall bits and pieces, and what my parents told me afterward. I  _do_ remember her screams. Her leg...," there was a catch in her voice. "She had an open fracture, and I had been frozen to the spot, unable to do anything. At some point, Irene had lost consciousness, and the silence that had followed had been worse than her cries. I don't remember returning to our families warren, but my mom told me she had never seen a rabbit run as fast as I did that day. Apparently, I had been screaming at the top of my lungs, and my dad had called for an ambulance immediately. When the paramedics arrived, we had to show them where my sister was. That meant, I had to lead them back, since I was the only one who knew the exact spot."

"My dad said he was so proud of me. I was shaking and wouldn't let go of his and mom's paws, but I didn't hesitate. And as soon as we reached her, the EMTs sprung into action. I had been on the edge of crying but watching them work gave me pause. We had kept our distance as to not interfere with them treating my sister, but I could still see that they didn't waste any time. They knew what they did... what they had to do to help her. It had calmed me down, and I got the feeling that she would be alright. My parents left me at home with my older siblings watching over us younger ones, while they were taken along to the hospital. When I was allowed to visit Irene a couple of days later, she was wearing a cast, but was awake and complaining about being stuck in bed. That was the moment I settled on my dream of becoming a paramedic myself, to be able to save mammals from dire situations, so they would get a chance to laugh again with their families like we did that day."

Again, the doe's paw reached for her upper arm, touching the emblem. The invaluable sign of her compassion. The proof she had realized her dream.

Judy's eyes turned back to the sow, and Swinton gave her a quick thumbs up and smile, before continuing with the next question.

* * *

Leaving the room, Judy closed the door behind her and allowed herself a moment to lean against it, taking a deep breath. Finally,  _finally_ , after another half hour they were done.

_I would rather head out for an MCI than going back in there for even one more minute._

"Now, now, don't you think you are overly dramatic here, Cotton Swab?" a mocking voice came from a few feet down the hall. Looking up, amethyst eyes found emerald ones. The fox belonging to them was casually leaning against a wall, arms crossed in front of his chest, the black tip of his tail twitching in amusement while he was showing off his usual, lopsided grin.

Mimicking his pose, the doe put on a smirk of her own.

"You looked worse for the wear as well when you left this room earlier."

"That might be true," Nick replied, "but  **I**  didn't pray for a mass casualty incident instead of having to step in front of a camera once more."

The reynard's grin grew a little wider when Judy's nose started twitching.

"Did I..."

"... say that out loud?" the fox finished the question for her. "Yes! Yes, you did!"

He got a glimpse of the bright red insides of the bunny's ears before she grabbed them with her paws, pulling them forward to cover her face. "Oh, sweet cheese...," the muttered curse drew a chuckle from the vulpine.

"I think you just need some caffeine to get your system running again."

He beckoned Judy over before turning around and entering the station's break room.

The doe peaked out between her ears, her gaze glued to the fox's fluffy tail as it vanished through the door, before she followed suit.

Upon entering the white tiled room, she spotted Nick standing in front of the simple, bright wooden kitchen unit, fishing two cups - one a tad smaller than the other - from a wall cupboard.

The moment he sat them down in front of him and reached for the coffee pot, a small body pressed against his back, two paws wrapping around his stomach from behind.

"Hey now, weren't you the one who instigated the 'no getting pawsy at work'-rule?" Nick asked over his shoulder, a light tease to his voice.

Judy tightened the hug while nuzzling against the tod's back.

"First of all," came the muffled reply, "I said we shouldn't get pawsy while being  _on duty_  and we still have around ten minutes off-time because of those interviews. Secondly, I'm not pawsy. I just want to draw some comfort from my mate."

She felt the content rumbling coming from her fox more than she heard it and when his tail snaked around her waist and legs, she welcomed his little sign of affection with a pleased chirr.

They remained like this for a moment, before Judy drew back, stepped up to the kitchen counter beside Nick and grabbed her mug, now filled with the steaming hot liquid that would hopefully restart her brain.

She took a sip from the aromatic brew, her eyes falling shut as she savored its warmth.

When the doe opened her eyes again, she caught Nick watching her.

"What's the matter, Slick?"

The fox lifted his own mug to his muzzle, taking a deep sip. "I was just wondering how your interview went."

Leaning against the counter, the bunny thought back at the ninety minutes of her life she wouldn't get back.

"Probably similar to yours. They'd asked me since when I've been working here. What it's like for a small mammal like me. What I could and couldn't do when treating patients. Why I wanted to become a paramedic. And so on."

"Yeah, that sounds pretty much like what they'd asked me, too."

Judy gave the reynard a sideways glance, having caught the strange inflection in his voice.

Nick's ears were halfway down, and he was staring into his coffee, apparently deep in thought.

It took the doe a moment, but when she made the connection, she put one of her small paws on his forearm, giving him a comforting squeeze.

"You told them about your dad?"

Focusing on his mate, the tod gave a small nod and an affirming hum, before placing his paw on hers, running his padded thumb gently over her soft knuckles.

After a moment, he drew back, not seeming to feel as glum anymore. Judy lifted her paw from his forearm and took another sip from her mug.

"So," the fox continued their conversation, "they have asked you about our sleeping arrangements as well?"

The doe almost did a spit-take at the question, barely keeping the coffee in her mouth. A small trickle had escaped her nevertheless and made its way down her chin. She forced the mouthful down and took the paper towel Nick handed her to wipe at her muzzle before asking: "What do you mean?"

The dread in her voice was almost palpable.

Trying his hardest to keep a neutral expression Nick replied: "It seemed like someone had been looking through the material they had recorded overnight, and they saw us sharing a bed in the dorm."

The slack-jawed look on the doe's face nearly did him in, but he kept his composure, only the slight upturn of the corner of his lips giving his amusement away. "What? You didn't know? There are two night vision cameras in there."

Judy swept his question aside.

**"What did you tell them?!"**

"I made something up about you having felt uncomfortable at first, being away from your large family and home and that you felt better with someone to cuddle up to. Otherwise, you would barely get any sleep."

The doe relaxed, the tension leaving her body with a relieved sigh.

"Why, Carrots, did you think I would tell them about us being mates, living together and sharing a bed? To tattle about how after our first couple of night shifts - where you couldn't get any sleep because you couldn't snuggle into your most handsome, foxy partner - you looked entirely exhausted? And how our colleagues accepted our request to stay close and share a bed, even here?"

The bunny had started to blush furiously upon being reminded of the state she had been in back then and pulled her ears over her face once more. Nick gave her an amused chuckle, bevor pulling the doe against his chest, giving her an affectionate hug.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," came the muted voice from the doe.

"Also, you looked just as overtired as I did during these first days we had slept separately."

Several seconds passed silently between the couple while the fox waited for his bunny to realize the contradiction of her own words. And sure enough: "Carrot sticks! I  _really_  need more coffee."

Judy was leaning away just enough to look up at Nick, giving him a small smile. "But thank you for covering for me. I wouldn't want my parents to find out about us because they saw this documentary."

The fox nuzzled her briefly between the ears. "You're welcome, Sweetheart. But now they might find out, I'm afraid."

Judy - who had almost felt relaxed again - clutched at the front of Nick's overall once the words had left his muzzle.

**"What do you mean by that?!"**

Silently, the reynard pointed at his chest where a minuscule camera was pinned, then at the inside of his collar, sporting the corresponding microphone.

Reaching for her chest, she felt her own camera and knew that both sets of items had recorded their whole conversation.

They had become part of their equipment and would stay there for as long as the documentary was going.

Groaning, Judy hid her face against her fox's chest again.

The chance that her parents would miss this was almost none existent. With nearly three hundred siblings, one of them was bound to find out about her being on TV, and the whole warren would watch the spectacle in one of their huge living rooms on one of the oversized TV-screens.

"Oh Nick, what should I do now? They will see it for sure."

The tod patted her back and let a paw run down her droopy ears in a soothing manner.

"We should tell them. From the way you described them to me, I'm sure they will understand, even if it would take them some time. Also, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to finally come clean and the more it will hurt them that you hid it in the first place."

After a moment, the doe nodded against his chest, a motion he felt rather than saw. "You're right. I'll call them later today and we... can...  _waitamomentmister!_  This was your doing!" Stepping out of the embrace, Judy glared at her mate.

"Moi?" Nick put one paw over his heart and the other on his forehead in an overly dramatic fashion "Your words truly hurt me, Fluff. And I have to inform you that I have not the faintest idea what you are talking about."

Giving off an annoyed huff, the bunny pointed one of her tiny, blunt claws at him, only inches away from his nose, and growled. "You  **knew**  about the cameras in the dorm! You were  **aware**  of the recording equipment they have put on us! Yet,  **you**  were the one who talked about how we became mates and moved in together, knowing fully well that there is a good chance it might be shown on TV! All that because you couldn't wait any longer!  **You tricked me!** "

Nick waited for his gray bunny to run out of steam before answering.

With a kind smile, he started talking. "To quote one of my old pals 'It's called a hustle, sweetheart.' But yeah, you are right, I tricked you. I wanted to give you a reason to finally talk to your parents about the fox you are dating. And I wanted to be able to tell my mom about us as well. I might have promised not to tell her anything before you are ready to come clean to your parents, but I think what you are doing is unfair to them, and I don't want to lie to my mom any longer. What you are doing right now is cowardly, and you, Judy, are no coward as far as I know." The doe's ears twitched at the use of her real name, knowing that he only called her that when he was unusually serious or upset.

"If it puts you at ease, I have talked the guys from ZBS into an agreement. If you are against any of that being broadcast, it won't. Otherwise, they would like to include the fact that we found love here as a sweet side note. So you are in no danger that our secret will spill if you don't want it to. But I think it's about time, don't you agree?"

While he was talking, Judy's mood had changed. As angry as she had felt at first, as guilty she felt now. Even his last revelation that he had told somebody from the film crew about them couldn't aggravate her at this point.

Her agitatedly upstanding ears dropped back down behind her, and she looked a little forlorn.

"Yeah, you are right." She stepped back into the hug the tod was offering and gave off a happy sigh when he continued caressing her ears.

After a couple of minutes, the bunny steeled her resolve. "Tomorrow. When my parents come to Zootopia to celebrate my mom's birthday with their  _'wayward daughter,'_  I'll introduce you to them. Not just as my partner or a friend, but as my mate."

Nick could hear it in her voice and felt it in the way she tensed up in his arms that his bunny was distressed by the outlook of talking to her folks about them and placed a sweet kiss between her ears, telling her in a hushed but confident voice it would be okay.

Judy relaxed a little and allowed herself to remain like this for another minute before drawing back from the fox with a sigh. She offered the tod a small, grateful smile before focusing back on her by now lukewarm coffee.

"Say, Slick, do you know who is leading the ZBS team around?"

Of course he realized that the doe was just trying to change the subject, and he played along, seeing no need to make her more nervous than necessary.

Taking a sip from his own cup, he grimaced at the coffee's temperature before answering. "Boaris gave them a quick rundown of the general layout yesterday, so they had an idea where to place their cameras. But Connor should be the one giving them the  _Grand Tour_  today."

Connor Taurins was a brindled wildebeest and chief of the ambulance station. With more than thirty years of experience under his belt, he knew the station and his crew inside out and had seen his fair share of emergencies over time.

"I thought he had planned to go on vacation for the next two weeks?" A slightly surprised look crossed the rabbit's face.

"And leaving his Dojo in somebody else's paws while everything is getting recorded? Unlikely! Also, considering the state Zootopia is in right now, it's probably for the best to have as many able-bodied mammals here as possible." He took another sip before he added with a smirk: "Besides that, Connor is just as much of a workaholic as you are."

Before Judy could come up with a retort, their conversation was interrupted by an incoming emergency call.

"Come in, Seven, Zero, Five!"

Judy groaned - realizing that their off-time was apparently over - before answering.

"Here Seven, Zero, Five. Over!"


	2. Meeting Casper?

"Come in, Seven, Zero, Five!"

"Here Seven, Zero, Five. Over." Judy answered while she and her partner were already heading towards the ambulance station's garage.

"We got an emergency call from twenty-three Fleetwood Drive. Apartment building; seventh floor. Caller is male. Species stated as rodent:  _Ondatra zibethicus_. Distressed. Saying he is haunted by ghosts. Cut on the left front paw. Over."

"Understood. Seven, Zero, Five heading out. Over."

They were already on the road when the call had ended.

Putting the radio away, Judy looked over at her partner, who was steering the vehicle through the sparse morning traffic. "What do you think we will have to deal with?"

Without taking his eyes off the road, the tod answered. "As I see it there are three possibilities, not regarding the chance that we will meet Casper today." The last part earned him an eye-roll from the bunny.

"Number one would be a prank call. Those idiots never die out. Number two would be that we are dealing with a mentally ill mammal which has a psychotic episode. And last but not least, option number three: drugs."

At that, the bunny flinched, causing Nick to smirk at her reaction. "What? Are you thinking about the rhino from last month?"

The doe shuddered in her seat upon being reminded of that incident. "Please don't bring that one up again."

"Why not?" the fox asked, a smirk firmly placed on his muzzle, "I thought it was awesome to see my beautiful mate's strong legs in action." Judy was huffing in annoyance, but unable to hide her blush. "You can see my legs in action when I'm going to kick your fluffy butt."

Hearing the threat, the tod chuckled. "Come on, Cotton Swab. You know you love me... and my fluffy butt." He wriggled his eyebrows for emphasis. Something the bunny only saw from the side since the fox was still facing forward, his eyes never leaving the road.

Arms crossed in front of her chest, she shot a short sideways glance at him before muttering, "You really are one lucky fox."

"Yes, I am."

Nick's answer, free of any kind of snark and delivered with an honest smile, made the doe's blush deepen and she was unable to stop the wide, happy grin that lit up her face.

* * *

A few minutes later, they had reached their destination. A slightly dilapidated-looking, dirty gray building in a neighborhood that wasn't as bad as Happytown, but reminded Nick too much of it for comfort. Although Happytown was the only district they were told never to enter without a ZPD escort, he wasn't feeling very safe here, either.

"At least the size is right this time. A muskrat is far more likely to live here than a rhino." A smirk crossed his muzzle while he looked back at his partner. Though it fell off of his face rather quickly when he caught the glare directed at him by his mate.

Clearing his throat, he adjusted the first responder bag on his left shoulder and hurried towards the entrance door to the apartment complex. Like the rest of the building, it had seen better days, the wood brittle and the once brown color faded and coming off here and there.

When up close, Nick found that the door hadn't snapped shut. When putting some pressure on it, he also realized why. The frame was distorted and made it impossible to close the door. And almost impossible to open it as well, it seemed. Only when Judy stepped up beside the fox and gave the wood a kick for good measure did it finally sprung open. The doe entered first, a smug smile on her face.

"I could have done that as well," a pouting Nick followed suit.

"Sure." The bunny's grin widened a little more.

Just before they entered the staircase, she leaped into the air with a surprised ' _eep!_ '

Turning around, Judy scowled at the tod behind her. "Did you just pinch my tail?"

Nick tilted his head sideways, one ear standing up and the other one halfway down, giving him a quizzical look.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Carrots," he stated while passing her by.

Tugging softly on one of her long ears, he added, "Must have been the ghost."

The doe swatted his paw away and briefly considered to give her fox some retaliation. But she decided against it.

For now. They still had a distressed mammal to tend to, after all.

At the time the two paramedics reached the seventh floor - mumbling curses about non-functional elevators - they were slightly out of breath and glad that they worked out regularly in the ambulance station's gym.

The inside of the building was a mirror of its exterior. The worn-out wooden floor spoke of generations of mammals wearing it down, while the wallpaper - at least the part of it that wasn't torn up, conquered by mold or covered in stains of unknown origin - showed a color that might have used to be something close to a royal blue. Three to four decades ago.

Looking down the length of the hallway, there was no rodent to be found. The floor was L-shaped, though, and when Judy and Nick rounded the corner, they found the sunken down muskrat on the ground, his knees drawn up to his chin, arms slung around his knees and slowly rocking back and forth.

Judy was the first to approach the distressed prey, knowing that it was best not to confront them with a predator right away since some would panic in situations that were already putting them under a lot of mental stress.

"Sir?" Judy addressed the rodent, slowly getting closer. His focus shifted towards her, even if the doe wasn't sure he was actually aware of her presence.

"You have been calling about a ghost haunting you and a cut on your forepaw, right?" The bunny was now kneeling beside her patient, her sensitive ears picking up the muskrat's heartbeat, his heart rate clearly above the two hundred forty beats per minute which were typical for his species.

The mammal didn't answer right away but slowly lifted his left front paw, looking at the cut that was crossing his palm. He looked back at Judy and slowly nodded. The matted fur around his eyes indicated that he had cried before Nick and Judy had arrived and now another tear was starting to well up. The rodent wiped it away, his movement almost lethargic.

"I see," the doe answered in a smooth voice. "Could you tell me what exactly happened while my partner here is treating your wound?"

While Judy had been talking, Nick had stepped up beside her, still keeping some distance. But the muskrat just nodded again, apparently not caring about the predator at all.

Kneeling down on the rodent's other side, the reynard set down the bag and took the muskrat's paw.

"Clean cut. Not very deep, but will need some stitches. Don't worry, Sir, it will probably not even leave a scar. But I'll need to disinfect the wound before bandaging it, and that will sting."

Nick was pretty much convinced that the other mammal wasn't able to follow what he told him, but he had to make sure and explain what he was about to do. Clarifying what you were about to do to an injured mammal often helped them to calm down and not start panicking when you begin the treatment and pull all kinds of equipment from your paramedic kit. It was one of the first things he had learned.

But the muskrat wasn't even looking at him, barely giving him a nod. He was still roughly focused on Judy.

After some more seconds had ticked by without the rodent saying a word, Judy asked again. "Sir, can you tell me what had happened before you called for us?"

He slowly turned his head to look back over his shoulder at the door to what the doe assumed was his apartment. His tongue slipped out between his lips in a faint show of nervousness before he started talking, his voice raspy and his words coming slowly and a little slurred.

"There was... this ghost. Just. Just a vague shadow. Barely visible. Approaching and backing away. Sometimes touching me. Whispering. Scared me at first. But not much." His ear flicked once upon remembering his encounter.

"Then he threw something around. Mug. Plate. Bowl. I don't know. Hit me. Hurt my paw."

He looked down at his now bandaged front paw, his expression showing mild surprise. Slowly his eyes wandered upwards until he found the fox's. He nodded once and mumbled a weak "Thank you," before looking back down at his appendage that was now covered in white gauze.  
Judy shot her partner a questioning look, the fox understanding the meaning of it immediately.  
He addressed the muskrat one more time. "Sir? We would bring you to a hospital now. There they can stitch up your paw and make sure you are not injured apart from that."

The rodent looked slowly back and forth between the two paramedics, seemingly struggling with what he had been told.

"Of course," Judy added like it was on second thought, "if it would make you feel better, we could take a look inside your apartment first to make sure the ghost is gone."

For once, the muskrat seemed to grasp the meaning of what he was told without thinking about it and nodded his agreement to the fox and rabbit. Fishing his keys out of the pockets of his pants, he held them out to a surprised Nick.

The reynard unlocked the door and entered, leaving his partner with their patient.

One of the bunny's large, sensitive ears was facing the apartment, keeping track of the fox while the other one was still directed at the muskrat, keeping track of his breathing and heart rate.

The floor of the small studio apartment was littered with clothes and crumbled, empty wrappings of different snacks mixed in between.

Taking a look around, the tod couldn't help but state in a low voice, "It looks just as bad from the inside as it looks from the outside," knowing that Judy would be able to pick it up, considering her superior hearing.

''Even worse than the shoebox you had lived in before, just a little bigger," Nick added with a weak smirk the doe couldn't see, betraying the fact that even he didn't think it was that funny. More like sad.

In front of the apartment, Judy was rolling her eyes.

_It wasn't that bad._

She was silently willing the fox to get on with it.

Inside, Nick had turned towards the rather small and equally dirty kitchenette. Looking into the sink, he spotted a mountain of uncleaned dishes, many of them still showing remains of half-eaten meals that were about to come back to life. On the floor in front of the sink, though, were shards of a shattered plate. Blood was visible on the sharp edge of one of the bigger pieces, and crimson specks had left a trail from there over to the entrance door.

"So he actually cut himself on a broken plate. At least now we know what had caused the injury."

_Alright, that's something. Come on now, foxy, what has your nose picked up?_

As if on cue, the bunny heard sniffing noises from the inside, followed by a sigh.

"I thought so. Just the same as the faint scents on him. I can pick up traces of at least two different substances here, I'm sure he took. One smells somewhat like burned sugar, so it's probably crack, and the other scent is an acetic vinegar smell, so I assume he took heroin as well."

Outside, the doe briefly closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

_So we have to monitor his cardiac activity. Hopefully, he doesn't get a heart attack. I don't want to give him any kind of medication without knowing what else is already in his system. These hallucinations about a ghost are most likely not the product of one of those two, after all._

"Alright," she heard footsteps approaching the door, "let's get him out of here and into the ambulance."

* * *

Once Nick had left the apartment and told their patient that it looked like whatever haunted him was gone, the rodent seemed to relax a little.

They were able to slowly lead him out of the building and into the vehicle without any trouble, Judy keeping one ear pointed at him at all times.

While she stayed with the muskrat in the back of the ambulance, connecting him to a heart rate monitor and taking a blood sample for the hospital's laboratory, Nick had forwarded the status of their patient to dispatch and was now en route.

Their destination was a hospital that he knew had a good program for drug rehabilitation. No one could force the muskrat to do so, but he would at least have a chance there. Many mammals didn't take the opportunity, but both paramedics hoped that this one would.

It was just before 9 am when they finally arrived back at the ambulance station and both - fox and rabbit - were relieved to clock out. After taking a quick shower, they left and headed for their own car.

"Man, I'm sure glad it actually was a muskrat this time instead of-OUCH!" Rubbing his shoulder, Nick gave his mate a look that was equally amused and incredulous. "How did I deserve that treatment, Cotton Swab?"

The doe gave him a withering look. "Don't act all innocent. You were about to mention that rhino again. And don't you dare deny it!" She added, seeing how the reynard was about to open his muzzle to object.

"Alright, alright. I was about to mention it, and I promise I won't do it again if it's that much of a sore spot for you," he pledged, holding up two digits of one paw, the other paw covering his heart.

"More of a nightmare than a sore spot." The doe grumbled, shuddering again at the memory.

A couple of weeks ago, they had moved out after an emergency call came in, stating that the caller - a female lagomorph - was complaining about a sudden feeling of faintness, sounding highly distressed.

Upon arrival at the given address, though, what they had found wasn't the home of a small mammal, but an apartment complex meant for bigger ones like elephants. Or rhinos.  
When they had found the right apartment - the door only ajar - they had carefully entered, announcing their presence so as not to surprise the tenant. In the kitchen they had found a female rhino, sitting slumped over at a table and trembling in every limb.

When Judy addressed her, asking if she had called 911, the pachyderm suddenly jumped up, flipping the table over in the process and wreaking havoc in the kitchen before charging at the two paramedics.

Nick and Judy had retreated into the hallway and made a run for the entrance, but a short corridor for a rhino was still a long distance for a bunny and fox.

If it hadn't been for the doe's quick-thinking and fast reflexes, they would have probably been flattened by the crazed mammal behind them.

Using her strong legs, Judy had taken advantage of the somewhat confined space of the hallway. Jumping from wall to wall she had been able to confuse the rhino until she got an opening, and kicked her in the head.

The kick itself hadn't done any damage, but with the momentum Judy had been able to change the course of the pachyderm, causing her to crash head-first in and through the opposite wall.

The large mammal had been stuck long enough for them to call in the ZPD.

When a blood sample of the pachyderm had been analyzed shortly after, the results had shown a mind-boggling mix of different drugs in her system.

* * *

Judy - who had fallen behind a little while remembering that dreadful encounter - hurried to catch up to Nick.

Stretching, the reynard let loose a long yawn, his tongue sticking out and curling at the tip. "I can't put into words how much I'm looking forward to getting home and catch up on some much-needed sleep."

"Mhm," the doe nodded in agreement, closing the distance between them what caused her fox to put an arm around her, "that really sounds fantastic. I can't wait to crawl into our cozy bed. Away from prying eyes."

She looked upwards at her mate, giving him an equally meaningful and seductive look.

Nick, whose ears were standing rigidly by now, could feel his heart rate double at the suggestive remark.

"That sounds quite nice, Fluffbutt. Even if I think that sleep should be our top priority for now." The smile he was wearing was alternating between tiredness and excitement, making it even more evident how exhausted he felt at this point.

The rabbit was not giving in.

"Oh no, mister," she stated with an impish grin. "You are not getting out of this. If I remember correctly, you were quite eager to fondle my poor little tail earlier. And now," Nick let loose a surprised yip when a small, velvety paw caressed his tail dangerously close to its base, "You'll have to take responsibility for it! And for bringing up you-know-what, you owe me some kind of distraction."

"Yes Ma'am." The fox chuckled and pressed a kiss on his mate's lips.

"Needy bunny."

"Gullible fox."

After a moment, Judy added in a more sober voice, "You are right, though, we should try to get a good dose of sleep before our next shift. Ever since predators have started to go savage, we are short on personnel, and those twelve-hour shifts are already grueling enough as it is."


	3. Savage Predators?

The silence of the ambulance station's kitchen was interrupted by the steady sound of water, dropping from the faucet into the sink where it hit the surface of a used ceramic bowl, and the soft ticking of the wall-mounted clock, hanging right above the door.

Most of the mammals working here had gotten used to those sounds and weren't bothered by them too much.

The groaning was new, though.

It originated from the gray bunny sitting at the comparatively big table in one of the height-adjustable chairs, slumped forward. Judy's arms were resting on the cool surface, her forehead resting on her arms with her nose barely touching the polished wood.

When she started to speak, her hushed words fell like stones into the relative silence of the room.

"Five times!" She said it like it was a curse.

" **Five times**  they called us out because a  _'savage predator'_  had attacked someone!"

Her voice had grown a little louder by then but was still dampened by the confines of the table's surface and her own arms.

"Savage predators  **my tail!**  Those mammals were anything but savage.  _Aggravated?_  Yes! Ranging from mildly to  _very_  drunk? Some of them, yes!"

"Profoundly horny?" the fox who had appeared on the threshold in time to catch the start of his mate's monologue added in a demure voice. "Yeah, that one tiger definitely was. No wonder the poor ewe was scared out of her fleece if you ask me."

The amused snort at the end of his statement destroyed the illusion of his serious demeanor.  
"That doesn't matter!" came the unbridled reply from the doe, still without raising her head.

"Also, the 'severe injuries' they had reported were shallow scratches, caused by their own carelessness or in the heat of an argument. Something every sane mammal would just put a band-aid on, if at all. Do they even realize that they are wasting our time and valuable resources by calling us out for nothing? And as if  _that_  wasn't absurd enough, some of them want to be checked  _'Just in case whatever causes those predators to go savage is contagious.'_  Are they kidding me? It's already bad enough that this  **hare** brained, striped idiot from the ZPD stated during that press conference that there was probably a genetical cause for all this - what kind of fresh-from-the-academy-dumbass would say something like that in front of dozens of cameras without a sliver of proof? - but now other mammals start coming up with more stupid rumors? Ugh!"

By the time Judy was done ranting, and the relative quiet of the kitchen settled back in, another sound had been added to the collection of background noises. A rapid thudding, caused by one of the lagomorph's hind paws irritatedly thumping against the metal footrest of her chair.  
Nick stepped up behind her, embracing his mate - the height of the seat working in his favor - and licked around the base of one of her ears soothingly

"Calm down, Sweetheart! The whole city is on edge. Predators are afraid they'll go savage and attack their loved ones. Prey are afraid to leave their home since they fear to be attacked at every corner. Many mammals have fled Zootopia by now. Admittedly, I'm surprised you appear to be so unaffected by this, considering... ", the tod's voice trailed off as if even he was too scared to voice his fears.

Finally, Judy raised her head from the table, squinting slightly at the sudden change in brightness.  
Turning around in her mate's embrace as best as she could, she looked him in the eyes.  
For once she could neither spot a trace of the mischievous sparkle that often sat there, nor signs of his usual poise that was often bordering on overconfidence. Only insecurity.

The doe took one of Nick's paws that were wrapped around her and pressed her lips to his palm.  
She always marveled at how much bigger than hers they were and relished the contrast of his rough paw pads in comparison to a bunny's soft, padless paws.

"I could never be afraid of you, Nick." Her mauve eyes were fixed on his lush, green ones, willing him to understand and believe her.

"Even if you did go savage, regress to a mammal running only on instincts, I know you would never hurt me.  _Could_  never hurt me. You would recognize me as your mate, without a doubt."

She closed what little distance was left between them and pressed her lips boldly against his, sensing the outlines of his canines behind them.

She could feel how the tensed-up muscles in Nick's arms loosened up at last, and a barely audible sigh escaped him, once Judy broke the kiss.

Letting go of his bunny, Nick sat down beside her, sliding a cup of coffee in front of her that she hadn't realized her fox had placed on the table earlier.

He took a sip of his own before speaking again. "You know, Fluff, I had been wondering about something but forgot to ask you since we had been occupied with, you know, saving the city and stuff: how come your parents are visiting Zootopia? Considering everything that's going on here, I would have thought they'd rather stay in Bunnyburrow, barricading themselves in or something along these lines."

Turning her mug in her paws, Judy thought about the fox's question for a moment before answering.

"I had been wondering about that as well. It  _could_  be that they just really want to prove to me that they finally support my decision to live and work here, but frankly I doubt it. I'm more inclined to believe that they want me to come back home with them, but that's not going to happen, no matter how much they try to beg or guilt-trip me. And they both know that trying to drag me home by my tail would backfire. Eyes up here, Wilde!"

Upon mention of the doe's fluffy appendage - that had flicked at the right moment to cap it all - Nick's gaze had snapped to his mate's rear without him being able to help it.

Shooting her a not-so-apologetic grin, he cleared his throat.

"What about the possibility they've missed out on what's happening here?" he asked without much hope.

Judy just shook her head. "Remember what I said about my almost three hundred siblings and what the odds are they wouldn't get wind of this documentary? It's unlikely they are in the dark about the savage predators."

At that point, Nick's ears had folded back against his head.

_If they know about the savage predators and are not coming here to show their support for Judy's work..._

"... Then they'll try everything to get you away from the potentially dangerous predator you are living with."

Scrunching his eyes closed, he pinched the bridge of his muzzle. "Why did I think it was a good idea to talk to your parents about this?"

A small paw gently pried his own away from his muzzle. "They have no chance of getting me away from you. I have everything I ever wanted in life here. The job of my dreams. The perfect mate - even if he is driving me up the walls at times. Our own little apartment and the life we have started to build together. We will tell my parents about us today, and I'll make them see reason if it's the last thing I do."

As soon as the last syllable had left the bunny's lips, Nick had pressed a short but passionate kiss on them, conveying as much of his gratitude and love as possible before drawing back again.  
"You know that they will turn the fact that I'm a predator against us, right?"

Looking a bit dazed Judy briefly shook her head before answering. "I know, but there is nothing we can do about it now, so let's worry about it when it happens. We should try to enjoy the peace and quiet we have right now, as long as it...", before the doe was even able to finish her sentence, the radio crackled to life, causing her ears to drop faster than Nick had ever seen.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?"

The fox's teasing was requited with a glare from his mate before Judy answered to dispatch, accepting that their short breather was already over.

* * *

Nick was sitting on his bed in the darkness of the station's dorm, the room only dimly lit by the little light that fell in through the half-open door.

The room brightened marginally when Judy entered.

She had seen the hurt in her mate's eyes before he retreated here after they had come back from their latest deployment.

_Curse that damned meerkat! How dare she talk about my fox like that!_

They had been called to a traffic accident, apparently caused by a pedestrian - a zebra - who had jumped from the sidewalk onto the street, right in front of a car.

The driver of the vehicle had tried to dodge the equine and rammed the car next to him.

The zebra had still gotten hit and the driver of the second car crashed into the vehicle in front of him, which had braked.

All in all, there had been four injured mammals. The equine who had caused the whole accident and the occupants of the second car: a family of three meerkats.

The driver of the other two vehicles had gotten away with no more than a fright.

Arriving at the scene, the wailing of a kit could be heard over the background noise the bystanders provided.

Tending to the unconscious, but luckily still-breathing father first, the duo found signs he had suffered a basilar fracture. Two standing by paramedics took over the transport of the male to the hospital, with the caribou and gnu being too big to directly treat small mammals like meerkats, and the zebra already been dealt with by another team.

In the meanwhile the doe and reynard had checked the mother and son, loading them into their own ambulance vehicle afterward.

Surprisingly enough the pup, who obviously had had a fractured arm, had shown no signs of fear for the predator and let himself be examined by Nick without complaining. Rather than that, the little one had calmed down considerably once Nick had started talking to him, explaining that his dad would be cared for and that he was there to help him as well.

The pup's mother, who had only sported some small bruises and abrasions and who Judy had looked over, was of a different mind, though.

She had asked if there were no other paramedics who could treat her son aside from 'that fox,' stating that she didn't trust a conniving creature like him and wouldn't put it past his kind to try and steal from them while acting like he wanted to help.

Before the bunny had been able to overcome her surprise and give the prejudiced female a piece of her mind, the pup had spoken up, telling his mom with all the beautiful innocence of a kit that it was all right. The fox was a paramedic and just wanted to help.

"That's what paramedics do after all," were the young one's words.

Her son's protest hadn't given the female pause though, but instead infuriated her to a point where it had seemed like she was about to get violent with her own son.

Only when Judy had threatened to involve the ZPD - officers had been talking to the bystanders who had witnessed the accident happen - for suspicion of child abuse had the meerkat stopped.

Turning on the doe instead, she had verbally assaulted Judy for protecting a 'sly pelt' like Nick, calling her a pred-lover amongst other things, getting herself worked up until she was almost hysterical.

Judy had had to give her a weak sedative while one of her colleagues had held the frenzied female down.

All the while Nick had continued to treat and distract the meerkat pup, not letting on that anything that had been said was bothering him. He had even joked with the young mammal that his mom must have been hell to deal with if he wanted to stay awake for a little longer in the evening, causing the kid to chuckle at that, despite his own injury and everything that had happened.

Now, out of sight, with Nick's head hanging and his ears pressed against his skull, it was hard to miss how much it had gotten to him. His paws were fiddling with the tip of his tail, which he had wound around himself protectively.

Without a word, Judy crawled onto the bed and up to her fox, mirroring his earlier gesture by hugging him from behind. Because of their size difference, she couldn't rest her head on top of his but instead leaned against his back. Humming deep in her throat, she nuzzled against the mammal she loved.

After a brief moment, she could feel his tail finding its way around her waist, and one of his paws coming to rest on top of one of her's.

"You really don't deserve to be treated like this, just because of me," the reynard stated in a voice so small, even in the silence of the room and with her superior hearing it was hard for the doe to distinguish the words.

"Nick, stop it!" Judy said while tightening the embrace a little. "Other mammals' prejudices are not your fault. You are the most wonderful mammal I've ever met, and I deserve to be with you just as much as you deserve to be with me, period! If other mammals don't like that, it's no fur off my back."

"You are a dumb fox, though. I've been so worried that meerkat's words had hurt you, but I should have known that you are more concerned about me than yourself. It's one of the many reasons I love you so much!"

Nick brought the paw he was holding up to his muzzle, pressing a loving kiss on it.

His spirits seemingly lifted, Judy gave him a small shove. "Okay, now get ready to clock out, take a shower and pick up my parents from the train station!"

Groaning in feigned despair, the reynard let himself fall backwards, trapping the startled doe under him.

Judy let loose a surprised 'eep' at first but started giggling immediately at her mate's antics.

"Nick, come on! We don't have time to fool around like this!" came her weak complaint, the laughter in her voice betraying how little it bothered her.

Nick rose just enough to turn over without his mate escaping him, and nuzzled the lagomorph's neck, pressing his wet nose to her skin.

"Can't we just have five minutes of peace?"

Judy - who was squirming, laughing, and trying to escape the moist, cold organ - realized that she had to resort to Plan B.

Putting her small paws on his cheeks, the bunny slightly lifted her mate's head, prompting Nick to look up and into the doe's eyes. Big, round,  _pleading_  eyes - quivering lower lip and drooping ears included.

"Could you  _pwease_  get ready? For me?"

Nick - unable to resist her strategy - pressed a small peck on his bunny's lips.

"You are not playing fair, Sweetheart."

He took his radio in one paw while getting up, quickly looking at the wall-mounted clock.

"Just two minutes of our shift left, so I guess it's fine if we clock out a little early."

Before he was able the press the button, though, dispatch was calling them, their timing once more impeccable.

_Third time is the charm, huh?_  the fox thought to himself.

"Sorry, Myra, we are about to leave. Could you  _please_  send somebody else?" the fox interrupted the female on the other end right away.

"I'm sorry as well, Nicky-boy, but you two are the only small-mammal team that is available right now."

Sighing, Nick looked at his mate, seeing that she was already holding her cell phone in paw and was probably sending her parents a message about the delay.

"Alright, Brushy, what you got?"

"Savage mammal attack."

Judy stopped typing to groan, smelling another one of those false attacks.

Until Myra gave them the information about the victim.

"The attack happened at Savannah Central Station. The victim is a female lagomorph in her early to mid-fifties. Unconscious and bleeding from several wounds."


	4. Dire Straits

Judy sat in the passenger seat, grasping her cell phone with desperate force.

Since they had left the ambulance station, she had tried to call both her parents multiple times, and with every time they hadn't picked up the doe's fear increased.

When Judy hung up for what felt like the millionth time, Nick shot her a questioning look, but she just shook her head in reply.

Not wanting to chance an accident but unable to watch his mate suffer like this, the tod let his tail find its way into her lap, trying to comfort her at least a little. Judy accepted the gesture gratefully and started petting the soft appendage to soothe her nerves.

"If you have to freak out, you should do so now. When we arrive at the train station, you have to function, no matter if the victim is a stranger or your mom."

Taking another glance at the bunny next to him, Nick caught her small nod, hoping that she would be able to pull through.

"Listen, Judy! We both know what we do. We have dealt with some dire situations since we have started working together and have seen some grim stuff, and we still pulled through every time without losing anyone. And today is not going to be different, no matter what!"

Another small nod from the lagomorph was the only reaction he got, before Judy hid her face in his tail, silently weeping into the fox's fur.

Watching her in this state was painful to Nick, making him feel like he couldn't do anything to help her.

When Judy had calmed down a little, she sat up a little straighter, wiping away a couple of leftover tears from her cheeks. "Thank you, Nick. You are right, it will be fine."

Understandably, the bunny still looked stressed, and Nick wasn't any different in that regard. But he knew that they wouldn't be of help to anybody if they ended up crash victims, so he forced himself to treat this as a regular emergency call and  **not**  to drive like a madmammal.

They had reached their destination in less than ten minutes, but it had felt like hours to them.

When the impressive building of the Savannah Central Train Station finally came into view, Judy felt her heart rate spike, and her sensitive ears picked up a similar reaction from her mate.

As soon as Nick stopped the vehicle right in front of the building's large main entrance, the doe jumped out of her seat, the reynard hot on her heels, both hurrying to fetch the first responder bag and stretcher from the ambulance before entering the station.

Rushing to the first level, they were met by a crowd of onlookers and a couple of ZPD Officers, keeping them in check. One of the officers - a tigress - waved the two paramedics through.

In the middle of the cleared out area, a female, gray-furred bunny was lying on the ground, stains of blood covering part of her clothes and creating small puddles of crimson red beneath her.

Next to her kneeled a brown buck, pressing what looked like a large handkerchief on a long gash in her arm.

When he looked up and spotted the two approaching mammals, a look of surprise and dread came to his face. "Judy!"

That was all it took for Nick to understand that their fears had come true.

In that instant, he was sure his mate would freeze on the spot, unable to act. But even before this thought had time to really settle in, Judy had already moved to the older doe's side with Nick right behind her.

Afterward, the reynard would feel unbelievably proud and impressed by his mate's actions, and by the way she had controlled her emotions right then and there. But for the time being, he was focused on the unconscious mammal in front of him.

While Judy tended to the nasty wound on her mom's arm, she simultaneously put her superior hearing to use and checked her vitals.

"Breathing is shallow. But no signs of obstruction of the respiratory tract or liquid in the lungs. Lowered heart rate at one hundred beats per minute."

In the meantime, Nick had scanned the older doe's breath for any blood scent that could hint at injuries of the respiratory system Judy might have missed but found nothing. He had also checked her for fresher scents of blood. The visible injuries were almost entirely small cuts, scratches and bite wounds that had stopped bleeding by the time they had arrived.

The only fresh blood that hadn't coagulated by then came from the wound on her arm that Judy had already disinfected and bandaged along with somewhere around her mother's head.

After pointing that out to her, Judy carefully lifted the older doe's head, giving her partner easier access to examine and treat the injury.

While doing so, Judy addressed her dad: "What caused these wounds?"

Stu, who had gone silent as soon as his daughter had begun assessing the situation, started to answer but was interrupted.

One of the bystanders - a black pantheress - looked like she had been crying.

"It was m-my fault!" she stated in a somewhat shaky voice. "When that lemming ha-had gone savage and a-attacked her, I-I was too shocked to r-react right away." Her words were interrupted by small hiccups, showing how shaken the female was. "B-but when he bit her arm... I-I just wanted to help. I-I didn't know tearing him off would cause s-such a wound!"

The feline looked like she was about to start crying again and only calmed down a little when someone who Judy assumed was her mate pulled her into an embrace and whispered some soothing words to her.

Looking over her shoulder, Judy asked her dad: "A lemming did this?"

The buck nodded in reply. "Yeah. The panther over there," he hinted in the direction of the couple, not making it clear if he meant the female or male feline, "bumped into him, almost stepping on the little guy. He climbed up on one of those big plant pots, looking like he was ready to give them a piece of his mind when he suddenly went crazy. Started growling and snarling. I would have never thought I could be so scared by a small rodent like him but that... ." The brown rabbit just shook his head, not knowing how to finish his sentence.

Judy nodded, acknowledging what she had heard while still focusing on her task.

Nick had carefully checked the unconscious Hopps matriarch in the meantime for any other wounds and injuries after treating the laceration at the back of her head that had caused the blood scent he had detected. It was probably the reason for the older lagomorph's unconscious state, and he made a mental note to include a suspected concussion to their list.

The two paramedics placed Bonnie on the gurney and hurried towards the ambulance - Stu hard on their heels - with Nick relaying the information about their patient to dispatch.

While he got back into the driver's cab, his lagomorph counterpart got into the back, monitoring her mom's condition with her dad at her side, the buck wringing his cap in his paws nervously.

Nick got the information of which hospital had been informed of their arrival, already preparing for the treatment of the lagomorph, and headed in the specified direction.

Meanwhile, Judy had connected the older doe to a heart monitor. "When was the last time mom donated blood?"

She knew that her mom was doing this on a more or less regular basis.

_If we have a chance to get ahold of an autologous blood bottle of her I want to know as soon as possible._

Startled out of his thoughts the buck almost jumped into the air before answering. "She had gone to her usual blood collection center about three days ago, I think."

Judy turned towards the window that connected the two parts of the vehicle with each other. "Have you heard, Nick?"

"Sure, Carrots. I'll relay the Information to dispatch. Is there more than one Blood Bank in Bunnyburrow?"

The doe shook her head before realizing Nick couldn't see it. "No, just the one 'Bunnyburrow Blood Bank.'"

She hoped her mom's blood was still there.

More than that, she hoped it wouldn't be needed, but better safe than sorry.

It was already difficult enough to get matching blood bags considering the fact it had to come from the same species, but since Bonnie had a rare blood type on top of it, Judy didn't want to take any chances.

Now, all she could do was watch over her mom while the minutes it took to reach the hospital felt like they stretched into hours.

When the doors to the operating room closed, leaving the three mammals outside, Stu first attempted to just follow his wife inside but was held back by Judy.

"Let the surgeon do his work, dad. We should head to the waiting area until someone has news for us."

Reluctantly, the Hopps patriarch complied.

As soon as they sat down, though, it seemed that all energy and resolve was finally leaving the doe. Her tears started flowing, and she was shaking with silent sobs. Before Stu could even react, Nick had already pulled his mate into a tight embrace, his tail curling around her protectively and one of his large paws repeatedly running down both of her ears in a comforting manner.

Judy clung to her fox, her face hidden against his chest, tears darkening the fabric of his uniform, while the vulpine whispered reassuring words to her.

"It's going to be alright, Sweetheart. You have seen it yourself. Your mom's wounds were mostly superficial. We were fast to arrive at the scene and treated her as best as we could, and the Savannah Central Hospital is the best in Zootopia. She'll be fine." He emphasized the last three words, hoping to reassure the upset bunny.

It worked somewhat, helping the doe to calm down a little. At least enough so that she stopped clutching at the front of his uniform and her tears dried up.

Judy wasn't the only one. To his own surprise, Stu felt himself calm down as well, partly assured by the fox's words but also because his daughter apparently believed in them.

While watching the exchange between them, the buck came to the sudden realization that there was more going on between the fox and bunny than Judy had let on when she had told him and Bonnie about this partner of hers.

His suspicion hardened when Nick - for the moment solely focused on his mate and forgetting about the presence of the buck - pressed a kiss to Judy's crown, directly between her ears which weren't as droopy as before.

When the doe finally drew away from the reynard a little, Stu decided this wasn't the right time to inquire about the nature of their relationship.

Searching for a topic to distract them, he asked the first thing that came to mind.

"So, you must be Mister Wilde, the partner my daughter had told me so much about."

Startled by the sudden question, Judy flinched a little. The insides of her ears turned red when she remembered that her father was still there, right next to them, and she scooted away from Nick. Just a little. Though it didn't go unnoticed by the buck that she was still holding one of the fox's paws.

Acting like he was unaware of all this, Nick just put on a friendly smile. "That's right, Sir. But please, call me Nick. Mister Wilde was my father," he added one of the most generic phrases he could think of.

"Alright, Nicholas. In that case, just call me Stu." Nick counted this as a small success, even if he had to suppress a sigh at the use of his full name.

"So, our Jude the Dude had told us you had been working as a paramedic even before the start of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative."

The tod looked at the gray bunny sitting right next to him and could almost hear her groaning inwardly, realizing that she would be hearing that nickname  _a lot_  in the future.

"Well, 'Jude the Dude' told you the truth. It was my luck that I knew someone working in dispatch who was also friends with the Chief of our Ambulance Station. He arranged it so that the three of us were visiting a sports bar. Watching a game, having a few beers and talking about anything and everything, just three guys on a boys night out. Though at one point the boss mammal had had a cup too much, and we made a bet. If I were able to do decent work on regular shifts with a team of mid-sized mammals for one month, he would make sure that I get hired at his station." The fox chuckled at the memory of his boss making a bet like this, so sure he would win it.

"What can I say. A word and a blow. I have been working there ever since then. Though it had been complicated in the beginning, with most of the equipment meant to be handled by mammals bigger than me and I couldn't drive any of the vehicles before the MII came around." He slightly winced while remembering the struggles he had back then as well. "But I was working the job of my dreams."

The brown rabbit scratched his head at that. "How did that even work?"

Nick gave him a quizzical look, prompting the buck to clarify what he meant. "How could paramedics larger than you two treat smaller mammals like us? And why wouldn't anybody hire small mammals for this job in the first place even after you went through all that training to get licensed?" He added on second thought.

Judy - who had followed the two males' conversation with a feeling of relief that they were getting along well - spoke up for the first time in a while. "Well, to answer your first question: very, very carefully. And I only mean this half in jest." She added when her fox chuckled at this statement.

"The smallest paramedic up until then was a ram, and when treating someone like a bunny, a ferret or anything else around our size, they had to work with utter caution so as not to injure their patients more instead of helping them. About the why..." She glanced at her partner.

"Prejudices," Nick just said. "It's the same with the ZPD or the Firefighters. Small mammals are pictured as being less competent, weaker, more easily scared and over-challenged by demanding work like ours or in danger of just being stepped on in the middle of a chaotic situation. The citizens of Little Rodentia can probably count themselves lucky they have an Ambulance Service of their own. I don't want to imagine myself trying to put up an IV for a shrew." He shook himself theatrically at the thought, drawing a small laugh from the doe this time.

By then, Stu had decided he liked the somewhat goofy tod. It also hadn't escaped his attention that his daughter had scooted a little closer to the fox again and he found himself thinking that if she was happy, it might be okay...


	5. Midnight Whatsoever

Nick's eyes were growing bigger and bigger when Stu confirmed that their family was indeed as large as Judy had always claimed it to be. And when the buck had started to recount the names of all his children, Nick's jaw dropped lower and lower.

The three of them were still sitting in the waiting area of the hospital. While trying to distract themselves from their worries and all the thoughts about the possibly horrifying outcomes of Bonnie's surgery, their conversation had moved from the subject of Judy and Nick's work to the Hopps family and their farm in Bunnyburrow.

When Stu in his recital reached the letter 'R' ("There is Robert, Rachel, Richard, Raymond, Rose...") a female ibex in a white coat approached them.

In an instant, the conversation came to a halt, all three mammals regarding the doctor with identical, anxious expressions.

When the caprid smiled, the two rabbits and one fox exhaled, none of them realizing they had held their breath.

"How is she?" Stu asked even before the ibex could open her muzzle.

"She is fine. Aside from the wound in her arm, all her other injuries had been superficial." The buck sighed in relief, and Judy smiled at her mate, briefly squeezing his paw at the good news.

"We had to put stitches in the larger wound though, and it will probably leave a thin scar. The blood loss hasn't been severe, but we have still opted to get that blood bag from Bunnyburrow to have it close by, just in case. Luckily, none of the larger blood vessels had been damaged. Lastly, she suffered a mild concussion caused by the blunt trauma to her head. We want to keep her here for a night to make sure no complications arise, so she won't be discharged today. Tomorrow on the other paw, she will be free to leave."

"You can go see her now." She added with another smile, beckoning over a nurse who had been waiting close by.

Asking the small group of mammals to follow him, the badger led the way through the hospital's corridors until they arrived in front of a specific room.

Judy felt her nerves rise at the prospect of seeing her mom lying in one of the beds, motionless.

As if he had read her thoughts - and she briefly wondered if he did - Nick asked the orderly "Has she regained consciousness yet?"

The badger - whose gaze quickly flicked down to the fox and bunny's still intertwined paws - smiled after a moment and nodded. "She was just about to wake up when we brought her here."

Excusing himself, the mammal headed towards the nurses' station, leaving Judy, Nick, and Stu to their own devices.

Swallowing, Judy let go of Nick's paw, reaching for the door-handle. It was only when she felt the warmth of his paw on her back - giving her courage she hadn't felt at that moment - that she was able to finally push the handle down and enter the room.

She stopped dead right on the threshold, taking in the view of her mom, her head, and one arm covered in white gauze, with an IV pole with an isotonic saline solution next to her.

The older doe was sitting fairly upright, propped up by a pillow. When Bonnie looked their way, Judy felt her legs starting to buckle and hurried forward, halfway sitting down, halfway simply throwing herself on the bed, hugging her mom as carefully as she could given her jumbled emotions.

Wrapping her good arm around her daughter, Bonnie gave her a reassuring hug.

"I'm alright, Sweety. Everything is fine.  _Shhh_ , it's okay." Her words only caused Judy to nuzzle into the nook between her neck and shoulder, sniffling once.

When the younger doe drew back after a while, her eyes were glistening, but the first untroubled smile in hours was lighting up her face as well, making it obvious what a huge load had been taken off her mind.

Stu, who had waited patiently until then, was now stepping up to his wife, pressing a not so small kiss to her lips before letting his forehead rest against hers, their noses touching. "I'm so, so glad that you are alright, Honey. I was so unbel-lievably w-worried. W-what would I d-d- _do_...?" He wasn't able to finish his sentence, big tears starting to flow from one second to another.

"Here come the waterworks." Bonnie lovingly teased her husband - speaking the exact words he usually used during his emotional outbreaks - while gently patting his cheek.

Looking past her still-sobbing husband, Bonnie spotted the fox who had remained in the background, waiting at the door.

"You must be Nicholas, right?"

"Yes, Ma'am." the tod replied.

Smiling at the polite response, the Hopps matriarch waved him nearer.

Judy and Stu stepped aside a little to make room for the reynard.

As soon as he was in reach, the older doe leaned forward to catch the surprised predator in a hug. "Thank you for saving my life."

Nick was so taken aback by the sudden gesture, he was unable to reply, and just carefully returned the hug, not wanting to hurt or...  _scare_  the doe.

When releasing him from the embrace, she added: "And please, call me Bonnie."

Nick nodded in acknowledgment, and when a small paw grasped his own, he faced towards his mate, her joyful, loving expression and broad smile making him grin like an idiot, squeezing her paw in return.

The whole exchange didn't go unnoticed by the older doe. Looking at her husband questioningly, the only reaction she got was a smile and a nod, followed by him shaking his head along with a shrug, indicating that he wasn't sure himself about what was going on.

"How do you know it was us who brought you to the hospital, mom?" The question by her daughter interrupted Bonnie's thoughts.

"Oh, well, when I woke up I panicked a little, with your dad not here. I demanded to get my cell phone so that I could call him and you. But the nurse just told me that my husband was here, sitting in the waiting area together with the bunny and fox paramedics who brought me here. It was easy enough to figure out it was you and your partner."

Her gaze softened. "But you are more than just partners, right?" She asked in an equally gentle voice.

The two young mammals in front of her tensed up in surprise, the bunny's nose twitching and one of the fox's ears flicking nervously. They briefly looked at each other, a silent exchange that needed no words.

When Judy looked back at her mom, she had relaxed a little. She felt Nick's tail subtly curling around her ankles and took a deep breath before answering. "You are right, mom. There is something I...  _we_  wanted to tell you."

She recounted how they had become partners. How Nick had asked her out on a date just one week later. How they became a couple. How they shortly after that had chosen each other as mates. And how they had moved in together not so long ago.

"I know it all happened very fast. I mean, we just met each other a little more than three months ago, and it must seem like we are rushing things. But... but... ."

Bonnie placed a paw on her daughter's forearm, gently interrupting the younger doe who was almost stumbling over her own words. "Sweety, breathe!"

Ears laid back, Judy did just that, feeling herself calming down again.

"Do you love him?"

"Of course I do. I love him so, so much. I have never been happier or more content in my whole life. Nick means the world to me, mom, and I can't imagine him not being at my side anymore."

The moment she turned to face her fox, Nick wasn't able to help himself anymore.

Not caring that her parents were there, he kissed his mate lovingly. "I'm just the same, Sweetheart. I love you with everything I am, and more than my own life." He gave her nose a small lick, drawing a giggle from the bunny.

Remembering that they were  _not_  alone, they faced towards the bed and the lagomorph resting there, both wearing a flustered expression and blushing under their fur, even if it was hard to tell through the fox's red coat.

"I have just one more question, then," Bonnie stated with an unreadable look on her face, ignoring the slight sniffling coming from her husband after the display of affection they had witnessed.

The young couple was looking at her with a mix of anticipation, curiosity, and nervousness.

Letting her mask slip off, a broad, warm smile appeared on the matriarch's face.

"When is the wedding going to be? We want to fix a date as soon as possible. Oh, you just have to hold the ceremony in Bunnyburrow."

Judy was entirely caught off guard. Her ears were standing up rigidly, bright red on the inside. Her eyes were wide as saucers, gaze flicking back and forth between her still-smiling mom and her dad, who vigorously nodded his head in agreement.

Though, that wasn't what derailed her thoughts completely. Her mate's reaction was the reason her mind suddenly drew a blank.

The fox just stepped behind Judy, putting his arms around her, his head placed between her ears and answered with a chuckle. "That sounds lovely, Ma... Bonnie. I had always dreamed of a wedding outside of Zootopia. I had never been to the countryside, you see. And holding the ceremony in fall would be fantastic. Maybe on an open field or close to a forest, with all the trees showing such vibrant colors."

When Judy's brain had finally restarted, she turned around in Nick's embrace, trying to stop him, to tell him her parents weren't kidding and that he shouldn't answer in jest like that.

She already had a witty comment on her tongue to wipe the smirk off his face.

But there was no smirk, no lopsided grin or playful, teasing sparkle in his lush green eyes. Just an honest, caring, incredibly tender expression that caused her train of thoughts to come to a crashing halt once more.

"What do you think, Fluff? Fall sound good?"

She was working on autopilot, feeling like she was watching herself from the outside when without thinking she slowly nodded in agreement to his question, giving off an almost inaudible "Fall sounds perfect."

_Wait! Did he just...? And did I just...? Does that mean we just... got...?_

Nick didn't give her a chance to finish that thought when he kissed her again, more passionate than before. Though the tod could have sworn he heard the faintest, mumbled  _'engaged'_ coming from his doe when he broke the kiss.

Clearing her throat, Bonnie drew the attention of the young couple.

"I think that we," she gestured towards her husband who stepped up beside her, "also owe you an apology, Nicholas. We didn't just come to Zootopia today to celebrate my birthday with Judy. We wanted to convince her to return to Bunnyburrow with us, even if just for a while. When she told us about working with a predator, we had been... concerned. But when reports about predators going savage increased, we were frightened something might happen to her. We hadn't even taken the time to get to know you, and we already distrusted you. We are so sorry for acting like prejudiced fools. Can you forgive us?"

Nick had already taken a liking to the two older rabbits and answered without hesitation. "There is nothing to forgive, Bonnie. You were worried about your daughter, and that is understandable, especially right now with that whole predators-go-savage stuff going on here. And the fact that you are alright with a  _fox_  dating a member of your family shows what good people you are."

Listening to the vulpine, both Stu and Bonnie marveled at how wrong they had been about foxes and predators in general.

_Predators..._

From one moment to the next, the grateful smile that had adorned the older doe's face gave place to one of sudden realization.

"That's not it!" All eyes turned to her at her sudden statement.

"It's not about  _predators_  going savage! That lemming! He had gone savage as well!"

"True," Stu chimed in, "it wasn't a predator who attacked you. Oh my, if even prey animals can go savage..."

"No!" Bonnie shook her head. "That's not what I'm trying to say. I smelled something on him when he jumped at me before I tripped and hit my head."

Her next words she directed at her husband, looking at him intently.

" _Midnicampum Holicithias_."

Stu's ears shot up straight, and his eyes widened in understanding. "Terry!" was all he said.

Nick was looking from Bonnie to Stu and back, a puzzled look on his face.

_I have no idea what they are talking about. At least Carrots doesn't look like she understands, either._

"I don't get it," Judy spoke up.

_Knew it!_

"What has a class C botanical to do with Uncle Terry and the savage mammals?"

_Dang it!_

"Your uncle once ate one of those plants and the next moment, he just snapped. Almost bit a chunk out of your mom's arm." Stu explained.

Excitedly, Judy grabbed Nick by his sleeve. "You hear that? Quick! Call him!"

The fox had his cell phone already in paw, swiftly unlocking it. "Already on it. You really need that fur stylist after today. You look somewhat unkempt."

His teasing earned him a punch to the shoulder by the doe. "Ouch, alright, alright, you brutal bunny. I know who you are talking about. No reason to get violent." Smirking he gave her a wink and left the room, the phone pressed to his ear.

Before the door fell shut, they could hear him greeting the mammal on the other end of the line. "Hey there, Buffalo Butt. Your favorite fox here. Listen..." The rest of the conversation was cut off.

When Judy caught the quizzical looks on her parents' faces, she gave off an amused snort. "That's Chief Bogo that Nick is calling. The Chief of police. That fox is probably the only mammal in this whole city who can get away with calling him something like 'Buffalo Butt.'"

Feeling more confused than before, Stu probed a little more. "How come Nicholas has the number of the Chief of the ZPD?"

"We both have his number." Judy started to explain. "We saved his son's life by chance. When we were on our way back to the ambulance station one day, we passed by his house. I picked up a commotion from the inside. We hurried in and found Bogo and his wife in the kitchen, their calf lying on the floor. Nick smelled a cleaning detergent on the little one, I made him throw up, and we drove him to the hospital, his parents following us in their own car. Bogo was so grateful; he told us to call him whenever we need him."

Looking at the door, she added with a smirk that looked quite similar to the reynard's "He probably regretted it afterward. But now he'll be happy he did it."

Right at that moment, Nick reentered the room.

"The chief was very interested in Uncle Terry and the 'Midnight whatsoever.'"

" _Midnicampum Holicithias,"_  all three Hopps said at the same time, causing the tod to shake his head in amused disbelief.

"Right.  _That_. He wants to talk to you two today if you are fine with that?" He looked from Bonnie to Stu and back.

Bonnie nodded, "If we can help that way we'll gladly do that."

Nick quickly tipped at his cellphone, sending a text he had already prepared upon guessing doe's answer.

Looking at Judy he added, "I have also told him about the documentary, the cameras that we wear and the ones inside the ambulance and he intends to get his hooves on the footage in case something or someone suspicious had been recorded."

Judy suddenly sat down at the edge of the bed, slumping over and groaning. " _Noooo_. It has all been recorded..."

It took Nick a moment to connect the dots, but when he did, he laughed and pulled the bunny into his arms, pressing his lips to her quivering nose. "Seems we have to ask Bogo for a copy of that, huh?"

Her mate's comment drew another groan from the lagomorph. Just this time it was accompanied by her nuzzling against his chest, a blissful smile on her face.

* * *

When Judy woke up to the darkness inside her helmet, she needed a moment to recollect her thoughts, feeling how the memories of her latest experience inside the P.I.X.A.R. machine were already slipping away. She remembered why Nick and she had chosen that particular scenario, though. Taking off the device and placing it in her lap, nervousness set in.

A black-furred paw on her forearm brought her out of her thoughts. Swallowing around the lump in her throat, Judy slowly looked up at her husband. The expression on the reynard's face was unreadable.

"Thank you, Carrots. That really helped me."

A sinking feeling overcame the doe.

"Does that mean..."

"... that I'll continue working with you at the ZPD? Of course!"

Her slowly drooping ears stood up again with an audible whipping sound, her cast down eyes shooting up to find her fox's.

Seeing his renewed determination, the doe couldn't help but inquire, "Why?"

Collecting his thoughts, Nick stayed silent for a moment until he answered.

"For a couple of reasons, actually:  
I already told you before that I love our job.  
As paramedics, we could only react to a crisis, while as police officers we can actively protect the citizens of Zootopia.  
Inside the P.I.X.A.R. machine, we were great EMTs, but that was because of its settings. If we try to do that for real, there is a good chance we might fail, while on the other paw I already know that we are badass cops  _right now_."

He was raising a digit for each reason.

"Also..., " when he lifted the fourth digit, his features softened some more. Opening his paw he gently placed it against Judy's cheek, caressing it with his thumb.

"... after we woke up, I remembered something. Something you said during my graduation ceremony."

The doe, who had listened intently to her mate's words, gave him a quizzical look. "Something I said?"

He nodded. "You talked about how life is more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker. That real life is messy, and that we all have our weaknesses and faults... and that change starts with us."

Judy was blushing a little at that. "You remember that?"

The fox couldn't help but chuckle. "I have memorized your whole speech. Word for word. But that part is important to me right now since remembering it made me realize: we already caused great changes in this city. We blew Bellweather's plan to smithereens - pun intended." The doe rolled her eyes at that, though not without a smile.

"When we became police officers, we helped to slowly make mammals realize how wrong all those prejudices are. Not only the ones about bunnies or foxes but in general. When we got married and proved that a relationship like ours could work like any  _'normal'_  relationship, we gave other inters courage."

"You are getting sidetracked here, Foxy," the rabbit jibed weakly, her eyes slowly filling with tears.

"No, I'm trying to make a point, Fluff." Nick gently rebuked, giving his bunny's nose a small lick, as his other self did just minutes ago.

"Without trying to sound presumptuous, we have made this city a better place. For us, our families, our friends, and our fellow Zootopians. And our kits. And all that is worth the dangers we sometimes face in our line of work. Besides that, we know we always got each other's back," the reynard finished with a smile and a wink.

_And if worse comes to worse, I'll make sure that our kits will at least have a mom._

Before he knew it, two armfuls of bunny had thrown herself at him over the armrest of her chair, grabbing the front of his shirt and covering his face with small pecks until she ended it with a deep, passionate kiss on his lips.

When Judy asked the still - slightly reeling from her attack - reynard if they wanted to buy a copy of their experience, Nick needed a moment to contemplate the question.

A smirk formed on his face. "Sounds good, Fluff."

His expressions set off all the alarms in Judy's head.

When her mate had paid the unmotivated ram behind the counter and pocketed the USB-stick, she stated: "You are up to no good, I just feel it. What's going on in that red-furred head of yours, Slick?"

"Oh, I just want to hear you reprimanding yourself again for that press conference back then. What was it you said:  _'What kind of fresh-from-the-academy-dumbass would say something like this in front of dozens of cameras without a sliver of proof?'_  "

Nick could almost feel the heat of the doe's glare trying to singe his fur.

"Come on, you know I'm just teasing you... Cotton Swab."

Even one month later, the fox would still feel the bruise he earned that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This concludes my little contribution to "What if...?"  
> I want to thank everyone who read it and left kudos and/or comments (be it here or for the original collab) or simply enjoyed this excursion into the P.I.X.A.R. machine.
> 
> It might take a while since I want to focus on a couple of other stories first, but if you guys would be interested in it, I could probably... I don't want to say 'continue' this story but extend it, making it a standalone AU starting from shortly after Judy had joined the ambulance station they had been working at and ending shortly after where we left here.   
> Just let me know if you would be interested or not and I'll put it on my list XD


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